The present invention relates to user interactive computer supported display technology and particularly to such user interactive systems and methods which are user friendly and provide visually impaired and even unsophisticated computer users with an interface environment which is easy to use, particularly with respect to screen cursor movements.
The past decade has been marked by a technological revolution driven by the convergence of the data processing industry with the consumer electronics industry. This advance has been even further accelerated by the extensive consumer and business involvement in the Internet over the several years. As a result of these changes, it seems as if virtually all aspects of human endeavor in the industrialized world require human-computer interfaces. As a result of these profound changes, there is a need to make computer directed activities accessible to a substantial portion of the world""s population which, up to a few years ago, was computer-illiterate, or at best computer indifferent. In order for the vast computer supported market places to continue and be commercially productive, it will be necessary for a large segment of consumers who are limited in computer skills to become involved with computer interfaces.
Despite all of the great changes which have been made in the computer industry, the screen cursor controlled manually by the user still remains the primary human-computer interface. The user still commands the computer primarily through manual pointing devices such as mice, joy sticks and trackballs which control the on-screen cursor movements. It must be noted that the principles involved in such pointing devices developed a generation ago when most of the people involved in interfaces to computer were computer professionals who were willing to invest great amounts of time in developing computer skills. It is very possible that had computers originally been the mass consumer, business and industry implements which they are today, user interfaces which were much easier and required less skill to use would have been originally sought and developed. Nonetheless, the manually controlled cursor movement devices are our primary access for cursor control. The present invention is directed to making mouse, trackball and the like cursor control devices more user friendly and effective.
Cursor control devices, such as the mouse, translate relatively precise orthogonal manual movements into precise cursor movements on the display screen. Users with poor hand-eye coordination due to poor eyesight, physical impairment, feebleness or other dexterity problems find the computer mouse to be quite stressful and frustrating.
In addition, the computer has been found to be most effective as a work saving device in situations requiring a user to interface with the display for a limited number of repetitive functions. In the work place, these repetitive functions may be performed by people of very limited computer interface skills and dexterity. Since such users or operators would have limited mouse skills, it would be advantageous to have the ability to optimize the effectiveness of user manual orthogonal movements in performing the repetitive functions.
The present invention is directed to interactive computer controlled display systems and particularly to systems for controlling cursor movement on the display screen. There is provided a user activated cursor control device, such as a trackball or mouse, which is movable in the four orthogonal directions. The control device is connected to the computer which includes means for converting the user activated orthogonal movements into cursor movements in said four directions. The key to the present invention is in the provision of a visual indication on the cursor control device when the cursor is within a designated region on said display screen. Usually, the user activated cursor control device is a computer controlled mouse, but the invention may operate effectively with joy sticks and trackballs.
An effective implementation provides a visual indication comprising a light on the control mouse, and the target region on the display screen for the cursor is an icon. The light on the mouse may be a variable light. It may be varied, dependent upon the type of region on the screen which is the target region, e.g. one type of light if the target region is a display window and another type of light if the target region is an icon. The variation in the light may be light intensity or color.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the nature of the light may be varied as the cursor approaches the designated or target region. For example, the light may be intermittent or flashing as the target region is approached and steady once the target region is reached.